Fast Food

It's the middle of the summer holidays and the kids are bored - what to do?  We've been to the beach almost every day, to the new play area Cubby House in Seminyak, to Ubud on day trips and to the Bali Galleria's Time Zone, eaten lots of ice cream and tried several fast food places.  Here they are.

MM JUICE

I first tried this fast food restaurant at the food court of the Carrefour on Sunset road.  After a morning spent grocery shopping, my son and I spotted the juice sign and decided to have a fresh mango juice which was wonderful.  We were all set to get some takeaway pizza from the PepeNero stand when we noticed that all of the tables in front of MM Juice were full so we sat down and shared a Nasi Goreng special - fried rice with sausage and chicken and topped with a fried egg and served with some achar and melinjo crackers.  It was a surprising find - the food was freshly cooked and delicious and the service quick.

They have another branch at the Bali Galleria which is more like a restaurant with brightly-colored wooden tables in an air-conditioned space.  We had lunch there a few days ago and this time, I ordered the stir-fried beef kway teow (flat rice noodles) which was a large portion of flavorful fried noodles with chunks of beef and egg - a satisfying lunch for such a reasonable price.  Fast and cheap food.

WARUNG BUNANA

Another little spot I've been meaning to try is the stand just at the end of Jalan Danau Poso which we pass often on our way home.  There is a large sign advertising Roti Canai (flat bread) & Teh Tarik (milky tea).  They also have a few other branches around - one of which is in Seminyak.  I finally stopped by the other day and ordered one portion of plain roti which was rolled out, slapped around and cooked to order right in front of me.   I took it home and opened the brown paper package of hot flaky bread which came with the standard curry dip.  Perfect as an afternoon snack and again, another cheap and cheerful place.

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MM Juice

Carrefour Food court on Sunset Road

Bali Galleria Food court area, ground floor

Warung Bunana

At the Sanur bypass just at the end of Jl. Danau Poso

On the Kerobokan road, Seminyak

PANTRY MAGIC

When you live on an island, news usually travels fast and when new shops or restaurants open, most people hear about it but in the slim chance you haven't, here's a new addition to Bali that's wonderful news for cooking enthusiasts - Pantry Magic.

It's just off Sunset road in Jalan Dewi Sri on the ground floor of a nondescript building that would be easy to miss if not for the white and gold French-style facade of this corner boutique.  As it's a franchise with another branch in Jakarta and several more in south-east Asia, there's a lot of stock and good name brands.  From a stainless steel Waring blender to a cherry-red Kitchen-Aid mixer, from rubber spatulas and silicone baking pans in all colors and sizes  to a huge granite mortar and pestle which would look fantastic on my kitchen counter (hint, hint).  The best part is the person working there knew what she was talking about and was very helpful.  This little shop is perfect for one of those days when you just need a little pick-me-up on a rainy day.  Espresso machine perhaps?
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Pantry Magic

Ruko Lotus, Blok 6 (on the corner)

Jl. Dewi Sri

Kuta 80361 Bali
Tel/Fax: +62 361 762 647

Mondays to Saturdays, 10-7

Sundays & Public holidays, 11-6

KAFE BATAN WARU

Clockwise from top left: interiors, Vietnamese spring rolls, Nasi Goreng, Beef and chicken satay

On days that I have errands to do in Kuta or Seminyak, I try to get everything done in the morning and then usually have a quick lunch before I head back to Sanur and the school run.  A few weeks back, after a busy morning ticking things off my to-do list, I decided to go to Kafe Batan Waru which is across the street from Waterbom, Bali's water park and very close to the Discovery Mall.  I had heard many good things about this restaurant and was eager to find out what the hype was all about.

Kafe Batan Waru is an upscale warung with wooden tables and chairs, ceiling fans and an outdoor terrace.    Their menu is extensive and has a mix of both Indonesian specialties and continental cuisine.  I decided to stick to their Indonesian dishes and ordered the Vietnamese spring rolls for my daughter, nasi goreng for the nanny and a mixed sate sapi (beef satay) and sate ayam (chicken satay) for myself.

The Vietnamese spring rolls were really just tiny lumpia and not the nems that I expected although it came with the usual mint and lettuce leaves to wrap them in.  The nasi goreng of wok-fried rice with chicken and shrimp came with the usual fried egg, acar (pickled vegetables) and prawn crackers.  It was good but could have done with a bit more spice to it.  My chicken and beef satay was the best out of the three dishes - charcoal grilled tender chunks of beef and chicken served with a sweet peanut sauce.  Usually served with lontong (sticky rice cakes), I asked for some nasi putih steamed white rice instead.  All in all, the food was fine and a good place to try some Indonesian cuisine while in Bali.

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Kafe Batan Waru

Jalan Kartika Plaza (across Waterbom)

Kuta, Bali

Tel: +62 361 766 303

Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to midnight

FEY LOON

No, I haven't abandoned my blog.  I've just been busy searching for a house which is proving to be much more difficult than I thought.  It isn't because there aren't any, but the really nice ones are only for sale and the ones that aren't are either not very nice and not cheap or amazing but way overpriced.  I've spent the last six weeks searching and still haven't found anything appropriate.  The only compensation I have is that my husband found a fantastic Chinese restaurant downtown so we've spent the last two Saturdays drowning our househunting problems in copious amounts of dim sum and roast pork.

Opened in 2002 with a Hong Kong chef in charge of the kitchen, Fey Loon specializes in Cantonese barbecue, dim sum and seafood in the middle of bustling Kuta.  On the two Saturdays that we were there, we ordered several dim sum items and all were freshly-made and delicious - char siu pao (steamed roasted pork buns), har gao (steamed shrimp dumplings), siu mai (steamed pork dumplings), xiao long bao (steamed Shanghai soup dumplings).  From the barbecue selection, we have our favorite roast pork belly which is crispy and served with the traditional peanuts.  We have also tried the steamed chicken with ginger-soy sauce, stir-fried kai-lan and the fried tofu with egg sauce.  The food has been consistent and reasonably priced.

The roast Peking duck looks authentic but as we are always only three or four for lunch, we can never order the whole duck but the next time we go in a group, we will definitely order that as well.  Lots more to try form their extensive menu, Fey Loon will be one of our regular restaurants and as they also do takeaway, we will surely be ordering Chinese feasts to-go when we finally find a home.  I hope that day will be sooner rather than later.
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Fey Loon
Jln. Raya Kuta No. 98
Kuta - Bali
Telephone: +62 361 766 308
Open daily for lunch and dinner, Dim Sum served every day
(TIP FOR BALI RESIDENTS: If you present your KITAS or Indonesian residency card, you get a discount on dim sum).